Hutchinson Fire Department
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Fire Department (HFD) is currently building an eligibility list for future firefighters to join their next Recruit Academy in Spring 2024.
HFD is an organization of continuous improvement that takes pride in improving its commitment to the community and has confirmed International Accreditation as well as a Class 1 rating with the Insurance Service Organization (ISO). HFD is 1 of 112 organizations in the world that currently holds both statuses. Establishing this:
- Provides greater community alignment.
- Encourages quality improvement.
- Facilitates input from and builds positive relationships with labor.
- Identifies areas of strengths and weaknesses.
- Allows for the establishment of an improvement plan.
- Provides data-supported decision-making.
- Communicates management and leadership philosophies.
- Ensures that our agency has a defined mission and related objectives.
- Encourages the development of organizational procedural documents.
- Is operating under industry best practices.
HFD protects 50,000 residents and covers 108 square miles encompassing the City of Hutchinson and suburban and rural Reno County Fire District #2.
HFD has 89 uniformed members and 1 civilian employee and operates 6 engine companies, 2 truck companies, and Crossman 10 brush trucks, 2 water tenders, 2 reserve engines, and a heavy rescue trailer from 6 strategically located fire stations.
Fire Headquarters is located in our Command and Training Center with a 4-story training tower with 2 burn rooms and 2 large paved training pads located on 53 acres of land. The department provides fire suppression, basic life support EMS response (Tactical Emergency Medicine), hazardous material - technician level, technical heavy rescue (confined space, high and low angle, structural rescue, and water rescue), and wildland firefighting (with the possibility of federal deployment).
The Recruit Academy consists of courses designed to review IFSAC and the NFPA Standard 1001, Firefighter I and II skills, Hazardous Materials Operations skills, Kansas Emergency Medical Technician skills, and HFD policies and procedures.
Recruits are tested and evaluated weekly throughout the process on both written and practical skills, and are given both a final written exam and a practical skills test. Recruits must pass all exams with a minimum score of 70%.
Firefighters are required to work 24-hour shift assignments - living, eating, and sleeping at the station for the entire period (including weekends and holidays), and may be required to work overtime with little or no notice.
Firefighters work 10 days per month with 4 consecutive days off occurring 3-4 times per month. The schedule then repeats.
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